Author Vincent Miles speaks of Capt. Asa Eldridge on Feb. 24

Tuesday

Cape Cod Maritime Museum's Sunday lecture series continues on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m., with author Vincent Miles discussing his book, The Lost Hero of Cape Cod: Captain Asa Eldridge and the Maritime Trade that Shaped America.

Part of Eldridge's intrigue is that the various phases of his career coincided with key developments in maritime commerce. His vast experience included commanding a variety of sailing vessels worldwide.

Eldridge was hand-picked by Cornelius Vanderbilt to skipper his private steam yacht on a four-month cruise around Europe. In 1854, Eldridge sailed a clipper ship from New York to Liverpool, England and set a trans-Atlantic speed record that still stands today.

In 1856, under the Eldridge's command, the USM Pacific, one of America’s first steam-powered ocean liners, left Liverpool for New York. That winter was particularly brutal, and neither the ship nor her captain was ever seen again.

Like Eldridge, Miles also hails from Liverpool, England, and has lived in the U.S. since 1984. After realizing that Eldridge had lived right around the corner from his Cape Cod home, Miles said he felt compelled to learn more. The Lost Hero of Cape Cod is the result of his efforts.

Miles works in the biotech industry in Boston. He holds a PhD in molecular biology from University College in London.

If you go: A talk with author Vincent Miles is on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m. in the Community Room of Cape Cod Maritime Museum, 135 South St., on Hyannis Harbor. Members $10; non-members, $15.